Lutron Vive vs Athena vs MyRoom XC
What’s the difference?
We previously covered lighting pioneer Lutron’s lighting control systems for homeowners here on the J C Electrical UK blog; but their domestic smart lighting systems pale in comparison to the things business owners and commercial building managers can achieve with their commercial lighting control offerings.
Let’s take a deep dive into Lutron’s commercial smart lighting systems; what they can do, what makes them different, and which one could be the right solution for your premises.
A few honourable mentions
Before we dive into Vive, Athena and MyRoom XC, let’s talk a little more about the scope of this article.
- While Lutron’s RadioRA3 and HomeWorks systems are primarily aimed at homeowners, they’re plenty capable for many commercial applications too. We’ve covered RadioRA3 and HomeWorks in more detail in our article on Lutron’s residential smart lighting systems.
- We won’t be covering Lutron’s former flagship commercial system Quantum, which has since taken a back seat to the new Athena system. Lutron still offers limited support, and existing Quantum installations definitely still have a few years ahead of them; but there’s little reason to recommend the system for new installations over Lutron’s current range.
- We also won’t be covering Limelight, the garage and outdoor lighting system acquired by Lutron in the late 2010s. Limelight largely stands apart from Lutron’s other lighting control offerings; but perhaps we’ll do a deep dive in a future article!
Without further ado, the first commercial lighting control system up for discussion is…
Vive: straightforward wireless control for smaller commercial spaces
Lutron touts Vive as ‘simple, scalable, wireless lighting control’. It’s the cost-effective option for businesses, schools and universities who just want a functional straightforward commercial smart lighting solution; with minimal distractions and less disruption during installation.
As a wireless system, Vive can be installed in retrofit projects – and modified as your lighting needs change – without any need for rewiring. It’s also suitable for new build projects, and it’s fully compliant with UK building regulations for peace of mind.
While Vive prioritises simplicity and ease of use, it’s no slouch when it comes to functionality. With the addition of a Vive wireless hub, you can unlock additional features including:
- Greater building coverage: While a standalone Vive system can provide smart lighting control for a single office space, a hub can enable wireless coverage across an entire office floor; and you can even expand to multiple floors or even an entire building with additional hubs.
- Integration options: Vive hubs can be integrated with BACNet and web APIs; enabling you to control/automate your lighting via building management systems and other third-party devices and software.
- Automated demand response: helping you lower your energy costs, environmental impact and earn incentives from your energy provider by automatically adjusting your building lighting during peak energy demand periods.
The Vive hub comes in ‘Starter’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Premium’ versions. The Starter hub can handle up to 75 devices, making it better suited to smaller offices; while the Standard and Premium options can both handle up to 700 devices.
The range of compatible devices includes Lutron’s handy Pico remotes, as well as in-line dimmers, occupancy and daylight sensors. In addition to hardware controls, the Lutron Vive phone app enables control for a single Vive system; while the Vive Vue Management Suite web app provides a dashboard for monitoring and controlling multiple hubs in one place.
Vive is also compatible with the wider Enterprise Vue platform, which offers site managers a single intuitive interface to operate and monitor different Lutron lighting systems across buildings within a single campus or business park.
You should get Vive if:
You’re looking for simple, intuitive lighting control. Vive prioritises clarity and ease of use over unlimited customisation options; particularly valuable for office rooms, study spaces and other areas where focus is paramount.
You need a fast, non-intrusive installation. According to Lutron, Vive can be installed up to 70% faster than wired lighting solutions; ideal for minimising office downtime.
Athena: the premium option for larger commercial spaces.
Athena is essentially a commercial-ready version of HomeWorks, the premium home smart lighting system we covered in our previous article; and just like HomeWorks, Athena offers almost unlimited options for scalable luxury lighting design.
Where Athena really shines (pun intended) is where strategic use of lighting can create or enhance experiences for visitors.
We’re talking about luxury retail spaces; hospitality and leisure venues such as restaurants and gyms; arts and cultural spots like museums and art galleries; and corporate venues such as meeting rooms and office lobbies.
The Athena ecosystem offers tiny wireless nodes designed to meet D4i and DALI-2 certification standards; which not only makes them compatible with almost any light fixture, but also ensures they’re equipped to support performance monitoring, demand response automation and maintenance scheduling programs via standardised data gathering and storage.
Like HomeWorks, a single Athena system can handle up to 16 processors and thousands of individual devices; but that’s actually just the tip of the iceberg.
Up to 100 different Athena systems can be set up and managed together within the same building; theoretically offering tens of thousands of addressable areas, zones and devices across up to 100 floors.
Athena supports a wide range of luxury controls, interfaces, sensors and automated blinds from Lutron’s extensive catalogue; including the dedicated Athena Touchscreen wall panel.
As for software controls, Athena works with the cloud-connected Lutron Dashboard building management platform for maximising operating efficiency and energy savings. Just like Enterprise Vue, the Dashboard platform enables you to manage multiple building locations from the same browser window.
It’s also compatible with the Luton phone app for on-the-go lighting control; Lutron Designer for programming lighting setups; and web API functionality for endless integration options with external applications and software/hardware.
You should get Athena if:
- You want unlimited, granular control over your lighting installation. The sky is the limit when it comes to planning, designing, installing and operating Athena systems; almost any setup you can imagine is possible.
- Your business premises are larger and/or more complex. Athena is highly scalable, so you can start with a single room and evolve from there as your needs change; but as a more expensive option in Lutron’s catalogue, it’s medium-to-large commercial spaces where Athena offers the best value for money.
MyRoom XC: luxury lighting control for the hospitality sector
Hospitality venues and facilities – especially hotels – often have very different operational needs than other types of commercial premises.
MyRoom XC is built with those kinds of spaces in mind. Under the hood, it’s broadly similar to HomeWorks and Athena; but instead optimised for individual room lighting control across multiple guest rooms on multiple floors.
Lutron’s main selling points for MyRoom XC include intuitive, user-friendly controls for guests, and compact non-intrusive components to maximise room space and ease of installation.
There’s support for up to five thousand guest rooms within a single complex, with each room able to handle up to 100 devices from Lutron’s range of wireless lighting nodes, blinds, sensors, control panels and more.
Guests can not only control lighting and motorised blinds, but also room temperature via the Palladiom Thermostat wall panel; while building managers can monitor and optimise energy usage from the aforementioned Lutron Dashboard cloud software.
You should get MyRoom XC if:
- You’re looking for a hotel-optimised lighting system. As well as offering dedicated lighting, blinds and temperature controls for each room, MyRoom XC also boasts integration with property management systems, centralised electronic locking systems and hotel service management systems.
- You need a user-friendly lighting control system for your guests. MyRoom XC’s engravable wall panels enable every guest to customise their room environment with ease.
Conclusion
Broadly speaking, all of Lutron’s commercial smart lighting systems offer ease of installation, design flexibility and intuitive user-friendly operation to varying degrees.
The best option for your particular business will depend on a number of factors, including:
- the amount of space you have,
- the amount of granular control you’re looking for,
- the appearance and style you’re hoping to achieve, and
- the budget you have available.
Looking to transform your business premises with a new commercial smart lighting system?
JC Electrical UK offers a complete end-to-end lighting design, planning, sales and installation service; and as Lutron PRO Installers, we can provide Vive, Athena and MyRoom XC installations as well as extended warranties on Lutron products.
Call 0208 839 9561 or get in touch online to discuss your commercial smart lighting needs today.
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